PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING Stage 1 Debate: Budget (Scotland)(no.5) Bill

At a time when budgets and resources are stretched, and ever-increasing demands are being placed on Scotland’s health care services, it is imperative that funding decisions are taken in a wholly transparent manner, and that their success can be scrutinised in a meaningful way. Over a number of years the RCN has raised concerns that the presentation of the Scottish budget has not allowed us to assess how investment decisions relate to national policy or outcome priorities.

Greater transparency on governmental funding decisions is needed and the RCN has been calling for this for some years. It is only with transparency that we can have a proper conversation involving politicians, professionals and the public about the tough decisions we need to take on how to spend our money on health services. This briefing discusses some of the factors and prcesses involved in budget setting and asks if the current budget priorities are the correct ones. The briefing renews are call for a palpable shift in investment to community-based in services which many believe need to form the basis of a future reconfiguration of health care.